I have been going to National Museum of US Air Force for as long as I can remember. My favorite plane was the B-29 Superfortress named Bockscar. This plane dropped the 2nd atomic bomb “Fat Man” over Nagasaki to help put an end to World War 2. I always felt this plane was a powerful work of art. I’ve always said to my dad, “I wonder what it would be like to ride in this plane?”
In June 2022, my dad purchased a ride aboard FIFI which is one of 2 B-29’s still flying. My ride was in Sept. 2022 in Lexington, KY. FIFI was acquired by the Commorative Air Force (CAF) in the early 1970s when a group of CAF members found her at China Lake, California where she was being used as a missile target. The airplane was rescued and restored and has traveled coast to coast attracting large crowds at every tour stop.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a strategic heavy bomber used by the U.S. Army Air Corps and was one of the biggest and most advanced bombers of its time.
The B-29 had numerous futuristic features, including a pressurized cabin, a central fire control system, 12 50-caliber machine guns, and four 2200hp engines. It could also reach high altitudes with a large payload. With thick armor protecting its vast airframe, the plane had every right to be called “the Superfortress.”
The plane flew higher than any other aircraft at that time and could carry heavy bombs over long distances. The B-29 was also responsible for dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima (Enola Gay) and Nagasaki (Bockscar), which ultimately brought Japan to its knees and ended the World War 2.
@CAF Media
00:00 Introduction
02:42 Meet FIFI
04:22 Firing Up the Engines
06:47 8800 Horsepower
09:14 The Takeoff
12:46 Flying Over Lexington
17:43 The Landing
23:34 Slideshow
4 Comments
Wow thanks for sharing that amazing experience so those that can never do something like that can see what it’s like.
Nice👍👏👏
Wow! Awesome experience I am sure! I had a great uncle that was a Navigator and killed in one flying near Rangeley Maine during WWII. Your Dad is awesome for setting this up! HappyBirthday by the way!
Kevin, that is a ride I really appreciate since I have been going to the Air Force Museum before it was moved to its current location. Thanks for taking us on a ride in one of the 2 B-29 bombers that are still flying out the thousands that were made. I have heard that at the peak of WWII, we were able to make a B-24 every hour in one factory and over 97,000 bombers of all kinds were built during the war.